The present invention relates generally to a water safety floatation assembly. The present invention further relates to a method of using a signaling device during performance of a water sport activity.
It is imperative that the participants of water sports, such as water tubing, water skiing, jet skiing, and sailing, wear safety flotation devices designed to support a person while in the water. For example, in the case of water tubing, frequently the tuber will lose his or her balance or suffer some other mishap which results in the tuber falling into the water. However, if the tuber is wearing a safety flotation device, such as a flotation vest, he or she will be supported in the water such that the likelihood of drowning is reduced.
However, because water sports (such as water tubing) is frequently undertaken in water ways used by many power boats or other water craft, including high speed power boats, a water sport participant (such as a water tuber) who has fallen in the water is subject to hazards other than drowning which arise during the time they spend floating in the water. For example, while a water tuber is highly visible while traveling across the water surface, he or she is very difficult to see after he or she falls into the water. Note that after the water tuber falls into the water, the water tuber would be left in the water without any signaling device except for his or her hands and arms. As a result, a water tuber floating in the water is subject to substantial risk of being struck by speeding power boats which can cause serious injury or even death. This is especially true with children since they are even harder to see floating in the water due to their small size.
In an attempt to address the aforementioned problem, various water sport participant safety apparatus have been designed. A number of these apparatus include a signaling device for indicating the location of the water sport participant. However, these safety apparatus do not allow a water sport participant to enhance the visibility of the signaling device under certain desirable circumstances. In particular, the signaling device cannot be easily waved back and forth by a water sport participant when a speed boat is traveling directly toward the water sport participant at a relatively high rate of speed. Also some of these apparatus are mechanically complex and difficult to manufacture.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.